QUT's Dr Stephen Hughes is available to comment on Nepal's latest landslide emergency which has blocked the flow of the Kali Gandaki River, threatening downstream villages.
The landslide has created a deepening and growing lake and local communities are evacuating in fear of flash flooding should the makeshift dam burst.
The ABC and BBC have more on the disaster.
Dr Hughes has been investigating using siphons to drain water from Himalayan glacial lakes that threaten to burst and flood downstream villages.
He said the Nepal emergency was very similar to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), for which his team is currently investigating solutions.
"However, the emergency in Nepal is playing out in a matter of mere days rather than years, as is the case of GLOFs," said Dr Hughes from QUT's Science and Engineering Faculty.
"It appears the Nepali army is attempting to siphon off the lake that's building up, which is a great start, but the army will need to quickly deploy a great many siphons to even equal the rate at which this lake is growing, let alone outpace it.
"The troops will need to act fast. Dam walls don't just spring leaks, even makeshift ones.
"The erosive nature of water means that if this dam bursts it will burst with catastrophic force."
Dr Hughes can also comment on:
•the effects of such a flood on downstream villages
•the difficulties emergency response teams face in deploying siphons and reducing the pressure on the makeshift dam wall - including the reduced effectiveness of siphons in high altitude
•the process by which landslides dam waterways
•how makeshift dam walls behave under pressure
•risk factors that increase the likelihood of GLOFs and landslides.
More information about Dr Hughes' GLOF siphoning project:
•A simple siphon could help mitigate damage from future earthquakes in Nepal
•How a plastic pipe could stop an inland tsunami and power a village
Media contact:
Kate Hagman, QUT Media, 07 3138 0358, kate.haggman@qut.edu.au
After hours Rose Trapnell, QUT Media team leader, 0407 585 901.
